This week Tech Weekly packs up its bag of cables and microphones and hits the road for the annual Web Summit in Dublin. We move through the throngs of braying startups and roving investors to cut straight to some of the most interesting speakers at the event.

This year it seems four initials are gaining traction: AI and VR. We talked to VR pioneer Jackie Ford Morie about her work to make astronauts less lonely; futurist Nell Watson about virtual consciousness for AI; cyber-psychologist Mary Aiken on how online life is affecting children; and to Silicon Valley roboticist Andra Keay and the Guardian's Julia Powles on the tech monopolies taking over our lives.